Greece resumes long-delayed trial of migrant rescuers despite criticism

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Two dozen migrant rescue workers are charged with espionage in Greece as rights watchdogs slam the slow process and say the case is politically motivated.

The trial began in November 2021 but was quickly adjourned. (Louiza Vradi / Reuters Archive)

A trial in Greece of 24 migrant rescuers accused of spying, including Syrian swimmer Sarah Mardini who inspired a Netflix movie, has resumed.

Proceedings resumed on Tuesday after more than a year as leading rights groups called the case a charade.

The trial began in November 2021 but was quickly adjourned. The suspects are also being questioned for human trafficking, money laundering, fraud and illegal use of radio frequencies.

Called “the biggest case of criminalization of solidarity in Europe”, in a report by the European Parliament, the trial was adjourned until Friday because one of the defendants did not appear in court or his lawyer.

Mardini, who has lived in exile in Germany since 2015, was arrested in 2018 while volunteering for a search and rescue organization based in Lesbos, where they helped people in distress at sea.

“I was arrested for delivering water and blankets and translating for the refugees who arrived on shore every night,” she said in an interview with TED.

READ MORE: Group of migrants found beaten and handcuffed on Greek island of Lesvos

Political motivation

Rights watchers blasted the slow process and said the case was politically motivated.

Amnesty International’s Wies de Graeve, who is an observer at the trial, said the delay was a ploy to prevent NGOs involved in the rescue operations from working in Greece.

According to Amnesty, the defendants face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

“The charges are based on a Greek police report which contains glaring factual errors, including claims that some of the defendants participated in rescue missions on several dates while not in Greece,” said Human Rights Watch.

READ MORE: Türkiye: Greece pushes back migrant boat in Turkish waters

Pieter Wittenberg, a Dutchman among the defendants, said the espionage and money laundering charges would not stand, adding that the case was politically motivated.

Mardini was not present in court because the Greek authorities did not allow her to return, her lawyer Zacharias Kesses said.

Mardini fled Syria in 2015 during the civil war with her sister, Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini.

She spent more than three months in prison on Lesvos after her arrest and was released after her lawyers collected 5,000 euros ($5,370) in bail.

The case was originally scheduled to take place in 2021, but was postponed over procedural issues.

The Mardini sisters are the main characters in “The Swimmers”, a Netflix movie based on their story.

Dozens of people face lawsuits

About 50 aid workers are currently facing prosecution in Greece, following a trend in Italy which has also criminalized the provision of aid to migrants.

Despite extensive investigations by the media and NGOs, as well as numerous testimonies from alleged victims, the Greek authorities have always denied having repelled those who tried to disembark on its shores.

Greece’s conservative government, elected in 2019, has pledged to make the country “less attractive” to migrants.

READ MORE: EU human rights tribunal fines Greece over death of migrants in Aegean Sea

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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